BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES

Behavioral objectives that are useful in the classroom must meet certain criteria. The four essential
elements of a well-written behavioral objective are outlined below. When writing a behavioral objective,
evaluate it using these criteria.

1.

Good behavioral objectives are student-oriented . A behavioral objective,

which is student-oriented, places the emphasis upon what the student is
expected to do, not upon what the teacher will do.
Sometimes teachers use instructional goals which emphasize what they are
expected to do rather than what they expect of their students. Such teacheroriented objectives only have the value to the extent that they direct the teacher
to do something, which ultimately leads to student learning.
A teacher
attempting to help his or her students attain the goal of solving long division
problems may work out some of the problems on the blackboard, explaining each
of the steps involved. A teacher-oriented objective associated with this behavior
might read something like: "To explain the steps of long division on the
blackboard." Notice that this might be a helpful teacher activity, but it is only
one of many possible activities that could help the students reach the goal of
solving long division.

2.

Good behavioral objectives describe learning outcomes. The important

thing to keep in mind here is that we are interested in what the students will
learn to do. In other words, it is the learning outcome that is important, not the
learning activities that should lead to that outcome. To say that students will
practice long division problems, using two different methods, is not to specify a
learning outcome; it describes a process. It specifies an activity designed to help
the students reach some outcome. As such, it is a student-oriented activity, not
an outcome. Your objective should reflect outcome language, rather than process
phrases.

It may be helpful to you as a teacher to determine what kind of learning

activities you may want your students to carry out. However, determining which
learning experiences and activities are most appropriate for your students can
only be made after you have decided what it is you want your students to
accomplish. Once learning outcomes are identified and described, then activities
that are appropriate for attaining those outcomes can be determined.

3.

Good behavioral objectives are clear and understandable. The first

prerequisite for a clear and understandable objective is explicitness. It should
contain a clearly stated verb that describes a definite action or behavior and, in

most cases, should refer to an object of that action. People observing the
products of those behaviors should agree in their judgment about whether the
behavior had occurred as stated.

4.

Good behavioral objectives are observable. The evaluation of learning

outcomes hinges on the ability to observe those outcomes. The key to an
observable objective is an observable verb. Consequently, when selecting
behavioral objectives for use in your teaching, watch the verbs! The verb must
describe an observable action or an action that results in an observable
products.

OPENING A LESSON

INTRODUCTION
Set induction refers to those actions and statements by the teacher that are
designed to relate the experiences of the students to the objectives of the lesson.
Effective teachers use set induction to put students in a receptive frame of mind
that will facilitate learning -- be it physical, emotional, or mental.

Set induction has as its first purpose - to focus student attention on the lesson.
The first motivational function of the teacher is to engage the student in learning.

As its second purpose, set induction attempts to create an organizing framework

for the ideas, principles, or information, which is to follow. Telling students in
advance about the way in which a lesson is organized is likely to improve their
comprehension and ability to recall and apply what they hear.

A third purpose of set induction is to extend the understanding and application of

abstract ideas through the use of example and analogy. An idea or principle that
is abstractly stated can be difficult for many students to comprehend. Moreover,
many students who do under-stand an idea or principle have difficulty in applying
their knowledge to new situations. The clever use of examples and analogies can
do much to overcome such limitations. The fourth and last purpose of set
induction is to stimulate interest and involvement in the lesson. The point here is
that active involvement at the beginning of a lesson can increase curiosity and
stimulate student interest in the lesson.

An effective lesson introduction should have as its purpose at least one of the
items listed and discussed above. A good example is the teacher who wishes to
teach the concept of categorizing and brings a collection of baseball cards, record

jackets, or even a basket of leaves to class. Then the students, divided into
groups, are asked to categorize their collections and explain how and why the
chose what they did.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BEHAVIORAL
OBJECTIVES
According to Alberto and Troutman (1999), each behavioral objective should identify the
following elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.

person(s) for whom the objective is written (the learner),

behavior targeted for change,
conditions under which a behavior will be performed
criteria for determining when the acceptable performance of the behavior occurs.

The learner(s) can be an individual person or a group of individuals. For instance, a

learner identified within a behavioral goal could be a student, a classroom, a group of
individuals participating in specific track and field activities, or an entire basketball team.
Once the learner is defined, the behavior targeted for change must be likely to be repeated
over time and must be clearly defined operationally in behavioral terms so that whenever
it is performed, it can be observed and measured across repeated occasions. An effective
definition of the desired behavior ensures that an outside observer will be able to confirm
that the target behavior has occurred.
Thus, it is important when defining the target behavior to avoid words and phrases such
as being disruptive, staying on task, or enjoying a story that have not been
operationally defined in behavioral terms. These words and phrases can mean different
behaviors to different people. For instance, a substitute teacher may define being
disruptive as a student tappingapencil on the desk loudly enough that it can be heard
throughout the room. The student's teacher, however, may only be recording being
disruptive when the child begins yelling so loudly that it can be heard out in the hallway.
Behavior definitions that are not stated clearly enough (operationally in specific
behavioral terms), for everyone to interpret in the same way, can confuse both the learner
and the individuals monitoring the learner's performance. This confusion is likely to lead
to further decrease in the likelihood that a goal will be achieved by the learner.
The definition of the behavior should also identify elements of the teaching/learning
context that are important for determining the conditions in which a behavior is to occur.
The circumstances, requests, materials, and instructions that are identified in the
behavioral objective as important elements in the context in which a behavior should be
performed must be sufficiently detailed to allow a teaching/learning context to be
provided repeatedly. The specific environmental cues that are present when a behavior is
expected to occur must be described in enough detail to ensure there will be clear and
consensual understanding of exactly what such cues include. Frequently the statement of
an objective begins with condition statements, such as the following:

Given a map of the United States

Given independent study time
After reading this a paragraph about

The final information necessary in an effective behavioral objective must be statements

of the criteria for acceptable performance of the targeted behavior. This statement must
define the minimal performance necessary to consider a behavioral response correct and
sets a standard for evaluation purposes. There are a number of ways in which to evaluate
a response: accuracy (number of items correct), frequency of occurrence (number of
behaviors performed), duration (behavior occurring within a time period), or latency
(time taken until a response occurs). Another consideration in determining criteria for
successful accomplishment of behavioral objectives involves how many times a learner
must meet a criterion before the behavior is considered learned. Information about the
criteria for evaluating a correct response will guide the ways in which learner
performance of the behavioral objective will be measured.
Alberto and Troutman (1999) suggest writing each element of a behavioral objective as a
guideline or format, as the following example illustrates:

Goal: Cindy writes effective behavioral goals and objectives for all students
needing additional academic support in her math class.
Learner: Cindy
Condition: Cindy identifies a student who is not succeeding on a math assignment
in her class.
Behavior: Cindy will write a behavioral goal for that student, breaking the goal
down into behavioral objectives that facilitate or assist the student in being
successful.
Criteria: Cindy will write a behavioral goal that includes two or more behavioral
objectives for two general education students who receive a D or lower on three
consecutive assignments in her class with 100% accuracy for three months.

Over time, the criteria for successful accomplishment of each behavioral objective are
raised until the learner is able to accomplish the long-term goal that has been identified.
Cindy may begin by writing behavioral goals and objectives for only two students in her
class who are receiving a D on three assignments. Each subsequent behavioral objective
will include criteria that increase in complexity until Cindy is providing support to all of
her students who need individualized behavioral goals and objectives and Cindy can
show that student performance is increasing using evaluation data for each student.